Hasbro have posted their 2010 annual report, detailing their performance last year. Key points to take from this are, as helpfully picked out for us by 2005 Boards member and Hasbro shareholder influence82:
– Overall revenue was down in 2010 when compared to 2009, BUT operating profit was up, mostly due to lower taxes and depreciation.
– Sales for Transformers and GI Joe products decreased, but this loss in revenue was offset by an increase in Nerf and Marvel sales, in particular Iron Man 2.
One thing to remember from this – last year was a year without any form of Transformers fiction to drive sales. This year, we have Dark of the Moon and Transformers Prime to promote the brand, plus also to Hasbro’s advantage there is Thor and Captain America: First Avenger hitting theaters this year.
So while 2010 might have been a bit of a “down” year, 2011 has the makings of a very good year for Hasbro.
Ash from Carolina
I think it kind of says that without a movie movie toys don't move that quickly. Power Core might not have worked out as well as Hasbro hoped either.
Before anyone claims death of Transformers forever if we don't get another movie quickly after Dark of the Moon, Transformers still sold a lot of toys.
As for GI Joe being down, well duh if retailers aren't putting GI Joe products on the shelves then that's going to hurt a lines numbers. Just imagine how fewer Transformers would be sold if parents couldn't buy them at the local Wal-Mart.
Ha ha, but maybe this at least kills the myth that everything at Hasbro depends on the Transformers live action movies because the company has lots of revenue streams.
shroobmaster
Not just store by store basis can change please notice that Mudflap and Bee helmets are only two releases of a GIGANTIC GIGANTIC toyline based on the movies.
Where is everything else?
It sold.
better than Classics.
Better than g1.
It just sold because it's attached to a super blockbuster film.
Ironhide4
if hasbro realeased the f*ckin products i.e. in IRELAND and EUROPE then they would have sales.
Batman
Exactly.
AutobotMaximal
Maybe Transformers sales wouldn't be down if any of us could find something in the line that we don't already have. I haven't seen anything new in many months that wasn't the Optimus preview figure. You've got to have new stock to move anything significant.
guard convoy
^a small handful of stores doesn't represent everything
last year it was stated that ROTF was the best selling transformers toy line of all time, amazing how people forget that information in just a year
of course last year was down compare to last year, last year was an AMAZING year for transformers sales wise, but don't worry, DOTM will bring sales back up
Bern
It is interesting to note though, that in my 30-mile radius, I'm surrounded by two Toys R Us stores, a Wal-Mart, and FOUR Targets.
I've found dozens upon dozens of Mudflaps and Bumblebee helmets just sitting there forever. So the Movie line is what is pushing sales? Doesn't seem like it.
Grimwing
Joes are down. Ouch. Pursuit of cobra is a great line, and while rise of cobra has its ups and downs between jank sillyness like that cobra commander redesign. It also has its share of intense stuff like The Steel Crusher with nitro viper. People just weren't really feeling the proper gijoe nostalgia from the movie, and the toys were a bit overpriced to start out with on par with a star wars collectors grade pricepoint.
The reason I mention this is because walmart has pulled a lot of their stores away from carrying GIJOE product at all, fearing the clearance "backlash" (that they partially created) in Rise of cobra would be to much of a gamble with pursuit of cobra, and the lack of that major retailer support is what is killing GIJOE.
Rise of cobra was also the perfect example of retailers ordering to much of the first wave, and not understanding the "wave" system. Just like with the Windcharger case debate now, there are complications the retailers create in their avarice to stock every endcap with toys from this summers hot movie. Only to have it be the same six transformers deluxes your only going to buy once anyway. While the lack of wave 2 or 3 solicited product frys your mortal endurance.
As for Transformers Sales being down. Its definitely do to a lack of media outlets. Cartoons, Video Games, and Movies.
So all we really had was war for cybertron for video games last year , and the five part opening of Transformers Prime. Hunt for the decepticons was coasting in a universe based in revenge of the fallen anyway.
Its not like really good sales of just generations figures in some peoples areas can show a strong fiscal report overall on the scale Hasbro wants. Totally agree that with Prime running strong and dark of the moon coming out for movie and video games. All the youth Transformers media bases are loaded. 2011 Should show better.
I guess I did buy a crazy amount of Iron Man 2 myself. But really there was a huge Transformers drought anyway going into as late as August of last year, reports of nothing but tuner mudflap filling toys r us. Iron man 2 came out in may and I think a lot of transformers and GIJOE fans gave the 3.25 inch line at least a shot during that bad retail year. Iron Man had a lot more time to sell strongly. Also Hasbro had a lot of coupon promotions for it.
ShortCircuit
To me, I thought those 25th Joe's a while back were flying off the pegs. After those ran out, I see full pegs almost.
Now Im startin' to see the rubber backers on the pegs so you can't push em back farther you know what Im talking about lol.
Ex I didn't know you were a Joe guy. I seen the Jungle Tracker today. Let me know dude if youre lookin for anything man.
exclusacon
Doesn't surprise me sales are down for joes and TFs. Walmart,who suppose to be number 1 retailer in the world, has some of the worse distribution and stock workers ever. Never seen any joes past jungle viper. Meanwhile TFs is stuck on HFTD wave 1 or 2, Gens wave 1.
ShortCircuit
Damn almost half a billion in nerf. 13 percent of hasbro right there? Like the Joker in Dark Knight, I wonder how much plastic that looks like under one roof.
Operating Profit Margin at almost 15% of revenue. I wonder what that was in the 80's.
Hasbro Studios? Wow Pound Puppies, that hits some nostalgia right there for me anyway.
Fishdirt
Contacting wal mart they had told me to contact my local wal mart who told me they just stock what the warehouse sends them. IF you go to 5 different wal-marts in a 30 to 40 mile area you would see a big variety in what tfs they stock. There is no equal distribution and that is Wal-mart's thing, not hasbros. Wal-mart probably could care less at that level. If it's marked transformers send the boxes out in equal amounts. Eff if it's hftd or RTS. It's all the same thing. That's what I am surmising anyway.
Hiro Prime
Word!
I've always preferred my repaints to be new characters rather than the same bot in a different paint job. Makes for more characters and larger armies for both sides.
Timothy.R
hasbro does have reps that go to stores..
they should have the stores take down the crap that's been on the shelves for almost two years now.. and replace it with newer stuff.
and i'm pretty sure i've heard that stores just order transformers.. not particular stuff… well hasbro shouldn't overload stores with tons of the same crap.
prime292
Also the amount of shelf space in target and walmart has shrunk compared to movies years. Right now bakugan has more shelf space at both my walmart and target. As for the transformers line having trouble after the movies are over … Hasbro understands how this game is played and that is why I be leave the new TV show mirrors the movie aesthetic so closely. Prime will help keep the line going until the next big thing. Plus with the rumor of a Robot Heroes show in the works should help bring in some younger fans and sell more transformers related product.
GAUGE
those lines would have sold alot more had they been released earlier. but we all know Hasbro has been banking on nothing but the success of the movie lines for the last few years. I'm dying to see how transformers is going to do once the movie stuff is long gone and dead.
I hope we don't go through another depression as we did during the G2, Machine Wars, early beast wars days.
Um, Walmart orders what they feel like ordering, whether it's a good seller or not.
brittap
True Hasbro doesn't stock Wal-Mart shelves BUT Wal-Mart can only stock the pegs with what Hasbro sends them. The closest Wal-Mart here has gotten in 2 cases in about 4 weeks, both Hunt for the Dec.( and not even the last wave, stuff from about 6 months ago) And it's not that they're selling because they just put the extras on the Gen. pegs.
Fishdirt
Actually HFTD sold really well from what I understand. Generations less so (WFC figures anyway) and rts is still early. Just going by what I see in local stores and what I've read on the boards.
GAUGE
PCC was just a filler line as were HFTD and RTS. Filler lines never usually sell that well.
Generations did pretty well. think about how many revisions they released of just that.
Catering to both Original 80's fans and then having to cater to those who are just Movie fans is always tough.
Alot of Movie fans hate the more simpler styled toys, and they also hate buying repaints of crap they already own so they ignore the repaints.
OG fans most of the time don't care if their favorite lines are repainted because alot of G! characters were nothing more than repaints.